Kayaking company Roaring 40s adds a gourmet touch to tour schedules

IF you associate kayaking with roughing it, prepare for something different.

Kayak Tours

IF you associate kayaking with roughing it, prepare for something different.

Established kayaking company Roaring 40s is among businesses to take advantage of Tasmania's reputation for fine food.

Its gourmet tours, including one with a Peppermint Bay lunch, are becoming more popular with visitors.

A new trip runs from Hobart to Fortescue Bay and includes seasonal Tasmanian lunches.

New owner Mark Grundy, a former employee, said kayakers were taken by shuttle bus to the Tasman Peninsula, then did a circuit trip around Fortescue Bay.

"We paddle to the highest sea cliffs, at Cape Hauy. We have a gourmet lunch en route, stopping at Bivouac Bay. We use Tasmanian produce like cheese and fruits, so in the summer period there are lots of berries," he said.

"Then we paddle to the Totem Pole and the Candlestick and through the Sea Canyons. We pass an Australian fur seal colony, and early in the season we sometimes see whales."

Roaring 40s is known for its south-west expeditions, lasting several days and using a wilderness camp.

Mr Grundy has been involved with improving kayaking safety as thousands of families buy easy-to-paddle "sit-on-top" kayaks.

On Wednesday, Roaring 40s will work with Kingborough Council to run a training day near Browns Rivulet from 4.30-6.30pm.

"We're trying to educate people on what to look for, the wind direction, how to gather that information," Mr Grundy said.